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Peripherals

Joshua owns and operates Minecraft servers and he wants to know what the future has in store for online gaming. Leo says that since Microsoft bought Minecraft, it's possible that Microsoft could require Minecraft be run from Azure. But Leo doesn't think there's much cause to worry because the Minecraft culture is very independent. Gamers won't really feel Microsoft's presence in Minecraft for at least a year, but there's not much cause for concern. Since online gaming is social by nature, the future is bright.

Ed has an iPad 4 and he can't print to his Pixma printer. Apple says he can't. Leo says that Apple uses "AirPrint" to print via WiFi, and if the printer doesn't support it, then he'd have to add additional hardware to give it that support. But there may be software that Apple offers for free. Otherwise, Leo recommends xPrintServer. It'll take any USB printer and make it an AirPrint compatible printer.

Mike has a printer that he needs to have repaired, but he's worried that the printer memory could get hacked. Leo says that it's definitely possible. But Leo doesn't think it's really a cause of concern. At best, it'll only remember the last job it had. So it's not really that big of an issue, just a theoretical concern. Just because the memory is there, doesn't mean it can be accessed or that it will even stay there once it's unplugged.

While Leo remains skeptical on the idea of the smart watch, he has begun to like the LG G Watch more. He finds it convenient to send and receive text messages and get notifications passed from his phone. He can talk to it, query it, and tap the screen. It's not as much of a health tracking watch, as other fitness bands and smart watches have been, but it does measure steps taken. Leo says the jury is still out on this, and probably not worth buying yet. He suggests waiting to see if Apple does something magical to make watches good.

Leo bought the Android Wear LG G Watch. This is the latest smart watch, after many previous watches like the Pebble or Samsung's Galaxy Gear Gear. There have also been many fitness bands like the Nike Fuel Band, Jawbone Up, and the Fitbit Flex. Microsoft even had a Spot Watch over a decade ago, and even the Casio calculator watch. Unfortunately, the LG G Watch is only marginally better than those past attempts according to Leo.

Gordon says that inkjet ink is obscenely expensive. Leo agrees and it doesn't have to be. That's why printers are so cheap, because they make up for it with ink purchases. Gordon is wondering if it would be worth it to buy inkjet refills. Leo has traditionally avoided refills because the ink usually isn't as good. It also may violate his printer's terms of service, which would void the warranty. Also, some printer cartridges also contain the printer head. Refilling the cartridge won't clean the head and he could end up with more clogs. That's why Leo recommends Laser printers.

Leo has the newest Google product, which is made of cardboard. All of the attendees at Google I/O received a cardboard box that, once assembled, fits an Android smartphone. The box acts as a viewer for virtual reality, and the smartphone runs a cardboard app that will give each eye the appropriate image. Since the smartphone has an accelerometer in it, it will move with your head as you look around. This does the exact same thing as the Oculus Rift headset, which Facebook paid $2 Billion to acquire.

Google has announced its Android Wear platform for smart watches. LG and Samsung have announced Android Wear watches, and Motorola will be doing another one this summer. These watches will let you know when you have an incoming call, and even will allow you to respond because it has a built in microphone. They'll also have Google Now, so it can provide contextual information when you need it, right on the watch face. These watches also have sensors to track your health statistics, like many of the fitness bands that are already on the market.

Mike has an old HP printer and he wants to use the wireless printing option. It works great wired, but he has issues printing through Wi-Fi. It says his printer isn't connected. How can he get the computer to recognize the printer?

Leo says that he'll have to go into the printer settings and tell it what the Wi-Fi access point is. He should remove the USB connection and have it rediscover the printer. Uninstall everything first and then press "plus" in the Printer section of OS X's settings, and he should be able to add it.